11 Things You Didn’t Know About Devon

Delightful Devon is bursting full of exciting things to see and do, from beautiful beaches to famous faces it really is an amazing county.

1. It is full of magic

The last witches to be punished in Britain were three women from Bideford in Devon in 1682.

2. It Has a 22 Mile Long Coastline

The English Riviera, at 22 miles long, spans across three towns. Its sandy beaches and scenic surroundings mean the English Riviera is a popular tourist destination; whilst its length makes it perfect for really long walks on the beach.

3. Dartmoor National Park has been a star of a Spielberg classic

Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film War Horse was filmed in Dartmoor, Spielberg was even quoted to have said that he had ‘never been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty’ and he ‘hardly scratched the surface of the visual opportunities that were offered’. So why not dig a little deeper and explore Dartmoor’s sensational National Park.

4. Home to a host of celebs

JK Rowling, Tommy Cooper, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Muse and Joss Stone are all known to come from Devon.

5. January is officially the wettest month in Exeter

With an average of 30mm of rainfall January is the wettest month in Exeter, whereas the driest is July with an average of 10mm of rainfall.

6. There are 52 other Plymouths in the world

People migrating from Plymouth, England would carry the name with them around the Globe. The Name Plymouth can be found in the USA, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean and New Zealand.

7. They made the world’s first pasty!

Well, possibly… a pasty recipe dating back to 1509 was recently found hidden within one of the Plymouth Borough account books.

8. They have the oldest gin distillery in England

Plymouth’s Black Friars Distillery is the oldest working gin distillery in England and is still used today for Plymouth Gin.

9. Home to the amazing Jurassic coast

Known for being one of the richest landmarks for prehistoric artefacts in the world has made this coast line England’s first natural UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Great Barrier Reef and Grand Canyon.

10. World’s oldest steam engine

http://www.devonmuseums.net/

Built in around 1720 the Newcomen Engine can be found in Dartmouth. It was originally used in Staffordshire but on its 300th birthday was moved to Devon as it was the home of its inventor Tomas Newcomen.

11. It’s a holiday hot spot!

Due to its sandy beaches, scenic countryside and rich heritage Devon is a fantastic place to visit proved in their latest statistics that showed that Devon receives 8 million visitors a year! That is the same as Hawaii in 2012!